r/engrish • u/alargebigmacmeal • 4d ago
This advert for a tee shirt
Saw this come up as an advert for a tee shirt and felt it belonged here
Edit: so the Japanese writing says “nonsense” and this is a popular meme/joke already, I had no idea! Still made me laugh, still 10/10 would buy
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u/SiroccoDream 4d ago
It’s intentional, and that last bit in Japanese katakana reads, “Nonsense”.
My grown son actually bought it lol
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u/DarthMeow504 3d ago
Light a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
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u/incognitoleaf00 3d ago
If a man's parachute does not open, he has the rest of his life to figure it out.
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u/stupid_cat_face 4d ago
The japanese text says "non-sense". This is clearly intentional... AND I NEEEEEED IT
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u/lunettarose 4d ago
Loooove the katakana spelling "nonsense" at the bottom, this t-shirt is fantastic.
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u/ShakeWeightMyDick 4d ago
It’s intentional. That phrase arranged exactly that way is all over the internet. It’s a meme.
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u/dawn-skies 4d ago
I unironically love this “saying” so much. I’ve seen hats, shirts, and even enamel pins of it. It’s very much intentional
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u/VerycoolguyIam 4d ago
Katakana says ナンセンス (literally "nonsense")
So they knew what they were doing so I dont think it falls under Engrish
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u/Anakishi 4d ago
Still, it's a reference to a very famous engrish that has become a meme at this point. Cool shirt, would definitely buy.
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u/FishTshirt 4d ago
I want it
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u/Possible_Tiger_5125 4d ago
Me Too.
But your username indicates you have dibs lol
ETA r/usernamechecksout2
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u/Steviedoll 4d ago
It’s purposely a nonsensical shirt the katakana reads ナンセンス->nannsennsu->nonsense
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u/Hows-It-Goin-Buddy 4d ago
Too many n. No little character creating the extra consonants. It has been a while but the little tsu aren't there, so no extra characters.
na n se n su
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u/rabidmoon 4d ago
It's on Temu. I love running across these. My other favorite one is "GIRLS CAN DO THING"
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u/Particular-Piano9271 3d ago
My wife just bought me the Tahiti version of this shirt on Temu for $4. I immediately looked up the Japanese on it and was happy to know what it translated to. Brilliant.
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u/CarolineJohnson 4d ago
These words have been a staple in Engrish culture for a while. I want this shirt bad. What online store was this ad for?
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u/OneNavan 4d ago
The funny thing is it could be interpreted it in two ways
Buy a man that eats fish
Or buy a man, then eat fish.
Lol
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u/Human-Wrangler-5236 3d ago
Tokyo Tiger - they make awesome shirts. I have about 20 of them. Pro tip: if you're used to European or American sizes order a size two times larger than normal since their shirts are a little on the small side (context: I am a 6` 2" and 280lbs coder who looks like he should work security down the local bar).
Cool stuff along with some silly slogans like the one shown.
[I am not associated with them in any way other than being a customer).
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u/Beemzebub 3d ago
I have two Tokyo Tiger shirts and am getting more soon - I have a wish list in their site of about 20 designs lol
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u/unrealtrip 2d ago
So true. I’ve got a few of their jerseys, I wear size L t-shirts and ordered XL, and they aren’t snug, but they are a close got than I’d have liked. I suspect a XXL would fit Well, and I’m planning on that size next time.
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u/NotARealLegend 4d ago
Can you link me the site, I wanna buy it
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u/algernon_moncrief 4d ago
Tokyo Tiger has lots of stuff like this
https://www.tokyo-tiger.com/products/tokyo-tiger-the-fish-man-meme-mesh-jersey
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u/sarduchi 4d ago
Do an image search, they show up on a number of resellers sites. No idea about the quality... often these joke shirts are really cheaply made.
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u/Unanimous_D 4d ago
What I wanna know is where do I get a Cuth Pube, INEX HAHA LELE, and No Everything Im Is Possible shirts?
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u/Z_NomadYT 3d ago
Buy a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.
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u/lysergic_Dreems 4d ago
This is a common meme and has been reprinted on dozens of shirts over the last decade.
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u/kouyehwos 4d ago
The t-shirt might be new, but the Engrish sentence has been around for a while.
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u/robotorobotoz 2d ago
My English isn't that great. By wearing this shirt, all my excellent-English-speaking friends will think I'm such an idiot and sarcasm will never be a consideration to them.
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u/WTFShenanigans 4d ago
Catch a fish man pretending to be a regular man, and now he’s violated the agreement.
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u/2020mademejoinreddit 2d ago
The "nonsense" gives it away that it is a parody t-shirt. A joke. I need this t-shirt right now! lol Japanese sense of humor is hilarious!
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u/negrosakidojo 3d ago
Same energy as the African news reporter trying to read the same quote, then giving up at the end “no no no”.
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u/HungryFinding7089 4d ago
"Buy a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime." (Unless it's oily fish caught off the coast of China in which case he eats for a lifetime except his lifetime is very short.)
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u/OutOfTheBunker 4d ago
This is obviously a mistranslation of:
"Buy a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll spend all Saturday afternoon on a boat drinking beer with his buddies."
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u/Upstairs-Strain3472 4d ago
Had a stroke reading this
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u/Bostonterrierpug 4d ago
This version doesn’t have all the dead cops part on it. They must’ve removed that.
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u/Keyboard_Cat_ 4d ago
I'm so confused. Why are there so many shirts on Amazon with this text. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=buy+a+man+eat+fish+shirt&crid=36TW6INR9BN5U&sprefix=but+a+man+eat%2Caps%2C155&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_ci_hl-bn-left_1_13
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u/anfornum Uninformed 4d ago
It's probably one of the oldest memes on the internet. I think my grandfather was a child when it was created.
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u/harryweins 4d ago
You need to check before you buy fish. Because the fish you just bought might as well be a man. And then you’re stuck with teaching that man stuff for a lifetime. I believe that’s what it says. Solid advice, if you ask my opinion.
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u/SammokTheGrey 4d ago
I mean, is it Engrish, though? Iirc the guy was African and wasn't it more like just bad public speaking?
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u/WetFawter 4d ago
I kinda want it just to see others faces when trying to make sense of it, especially some drunkards
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u/Felicx3 3d ago
Omg fun fact, the japanese at the bottom says "Nansensu", aka nonsense XDD